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House-Elf Reproduction

I have wondering about house-elves go about being...'made' a lot lately. I assume they reproduce the way any other magical creature, but I wonder just how common this is. Are there laws about house-elves and reproducing (I remember how Lupin was so nervous about being a werewolf and having kids), or are the elves masters just expected to oversee that kind of thing?

This topic is quickly going to a very dark place reminded me of the horror stories of American stories.

Other off topic questions that go along with this. What is the average lifespan of the common house-elf? How long does it take for a house-elf to reach adulthood?

I have no basis for this anywhere in Potterverse; this is just my opinion.

When I think of house-elves, I tend to think of slavery in American History. I have never really considered that side of things before, but I would think it would be very similar as well; not necessarily in the fact that in America a lot of slave owners would rape their slaves and impregnate them. However, I think that a lot of house-elf owners would sell them to other house-elf owners for the simple act of putting the two elves together to reproduce. And, yes, I think the elves would be forced to do it even if they didn't want to. Yet, I think most of them would be so starved for companionship from their own kind that it wouldn't take a lot of persuasion.

Who would have to pay would be up to you. You could say the owner of a male house-elf would pay the owner of a female house-elf, because she is the one who would carry the baby. Or, you could have it the opposite way, because without a male there could be no baby for the female to carry. I'd say you can also be pretty free with the gestation period of a house-elf as well. You could make it anywhere from five to twenty months. I haven't found anything in any of the books or online that mention it.

As for the lifespan, a safe average would probably be around 125 years. Again, this is only my opinion; I'm sitting here thinking this stuff up as I type. Rowling mentioned a few old house-elves in the course of her books: Hokey and Kreacher are the only ones coming to mind at the moment, but I'm sure there was at least one other she mentioned at one point or another.

Well, Kreacher definitely had a mother, because her head is mounted on the wall.

Now then, there are several house elves heads on the wall, but the tradition was started by Elladora Black who died in 1931 (age 81). So as she was born in 1850, it rather suggests that the house elf life is much shorter than a wizards. I'd suggest 50 years perhaps.

Something else occured to me. Do you think the Hogwarts house-elves are allowed to freely reproduce? They would need pretty much an army of them to keep the school running, and it seems like that would be a good way to keep up their numbers.

Of course reproduction means, in the long run, more houseelves. It also means, however, that one elf will be pregnant, and will need to take care of the baby for a while. She will be less efficient while doing that. And now imagine half your staff is suddenly pregnant...

I'm beginning to wonder about the kind of story you're writing, actually...

This completely gorgeous banner, which makes me happier than a squirrel, was made by Hokey

Something else occured to me. Do you think the Hogwarts house-elves are allowed to freely reproduce? They would need pretty much an army of them to keep the school running, and it seems like that would be a good way to keep up their numbers.

It probably would depend on the Headmaster. While it doesn't seem likely, given that most House elfs don't seem to mind their enslavement, if they were allowed to have their children when they wanted, they could time it so that maximum chaos could be achieved. (All the females get pregnant at once, or at about the same time, huge headache)

Still, realistically, house elves wouldn't do that. So, if they're allowed to have kids when they want, they'd probably still inform the headmaster so they he could make contingency plans.

I don't see Dumbledore making demands that he schedule their babymaking or anything like that though.